Folio Weed – Wet Work

Words by Shelton Hull 

If you, the reader, are anything like me, then you likely long ago surrendered to the wisdom of the almighty algorithm. For example, I do most of my music-listening via YouTube; I assume that’s evidence of some deeper pathology, but I don’t care. Their recommendations have proven to be consistently more useful (and infinitely less problematic) than most DJs, so that’s one area in which automation is working out just fine, so far.

Another area of interest has been canna-culture. I’ve done several columns over the years about brands that I was initially exposed to by chance: Puffco, Session Goods, Buzz Drops, Penjamin, etc. That is in addition to the dozens, if not hundreds, of contacts I’ve made in and around the industry through social media. I typically find that when people come to me with information, it’s usually fresh and it’s usually correct. With cannabis brands legally forbidden from most forms of traditional advertising here in Florida, they are entirely dependent on word of mouth to reach any potential customers, so they’re very aggressive with their social media marketing, to the point of overt redundancy, in many cases.

Let’s talk specifically about Brez, an infused drink which I’d never heard of until I saw their posts on Facebook. The company has sold nearly two million cans of the stuff since its founding, just last year, but I was wholly unaware of their existence until this summer. I first reached out in August, and I’ve since interacted with at least half a dozen people working for either the company itself or for Dreamday, the LA-based firm that runs their marketing. Like most such startups, their retail and wholesale game is still very much a work in progress, so their business has been about 90% direct-to-consumer (DTC). Roughly 11% of their sales come from Florida. Founder Aaron Nobisch is the CEO of Lucyd, a firm that specializes in social media marketing for cannabis companies, which explains a lot.

Brez is currently carried in three places within range of readers like you: Natural Life in Atlantic Beach, Miracle Leaf in Ponte Vedra and, most curiously, the Omni Amelia Island. It’s pricey stuff, though: 7.5 ounce cans go for $40 per six-pack, while the 12 ounce cans are $50 per six pack. That’s more than double the cost for similar-sized energy drinks, and still far less than you’d pay for most alcoholic beverages, which these are not. I was shocked to see that, and I hadn’t even tried it yet. So I did my due diligence, by which I mean I let them get cold, then I chugged one as fast as I could. And then I took a nap. It’s really good for that. Just like with edibles, dosage and effect is a highly individualized matter; the smaller cans are designed to that end, kinda like the pick-a-size paper towels. 

Brez combines two main ingredients that are very popular right now: cannabis and adaptogenic mushrooms. Each 12-ounce can includes 5 mg of THC and 10 mg of CBD, as well as 2200 mg of lion’s mane mushroom extract, as well as limonene terpene for flavor. They offer a variant with no THC or CBD, just the mushroom extract, if you’re straight edge (in which case, why are you here?), as well as their newest formula, Flow, which takes the mushroom extract and boosts its signal with cacao, L-theanine and black seed oil. There are so many mushroom-based coffees, teas and energy drinks out there, and I must admit, I am obsessed.

Cannabis drinks tend to be very cannabis-forward, by which I mean that it leads with the weed flavor, with everything else lingering in the background like Lana Del Rey standing behind Taylor Swift at the Grammys. Same goes for the mushroom elixirs. It’s certainly present here, but balanced nicely with Italian lemon, elderflower and agave. You’d need to drink a whole six-pack to get anything close to actually stoned, but by that point, I think you’d be more fixated on all those bubbles in your stomach.

Manufacturers tout its effects as increased clarity, focus and relaxation, but it’s worth noting that none of this is hard science. The government is careful about regulating the language used to promote such products, so take nothing as gospel. It’s marketed as a social tonic, an alternative to alcohol. For me, however, the alternative to alcohol is beer, so I immediately sought to craft a few cocktails using it as a base. Use it the way you’d use any seltzer or tonic water, I’d suggest you pair it with dark rum or high-botanical gin, like the kind at Manifest Distilling or St. Augustine Distillery.

If Amendment 3 passes (odds are 50-50), we’ll be able to import more hi-octane THC-infused drinks next year. I’ll be trying as many as possible and sharing my thoughts with you. But, as it stands now, I’d put Brez in the A-tier, easily the best in its class so far. If you have any suggestions for similar products (especially any with local/regional connections), holla!